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CATEGORIESWe could all use a little more yoga in our lives, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. As such, we've pulled together our favorite yoga gear—and a few online yoga resources—to get you on the mat ASAP.
Below, you’ll find reviews on a couple of our favorite yoga mats, yoga apparel for both men and women, and more from brands like prAna, Manduka, Slow Tide, Stio, and more. If you're ready to shop, feel free to skip down to the gear reviews. But if you're new to yoga or feel uncertain about how to continue your practice during quarantine, here are a few resources to help you get the ball rolling.
Just because gyms and yoga studios are shuttered doesn’t mean you can’t get on your mat. It's still possible to practice at home, and there are more resources available online than ever before. Here are a few places to start:
First and foremost, consider supporting your local yoga studio. Many yoga studios are offering online classes on Zoom, and even recording courses so that you can access them whenever you want. Yoga studios are among the businesses getting hit hardest by the COVID-19 crisis, and your patronage goes a long way.
Core Power offers a Yoga on Demand subscription service, with classes that range in difficulty from beginner to expert. If a paid subscription is out of the question at the moment, there are a handful of free community classes that you can try.
Youtube just might be the biggest yoga studio in the world—there are hundreds and hundreds of yoga teachers and thousands upon thousands of yoga classes on the streaming site. From general flow and restorative classes to deep dives on specific poses, Youtube has it all.
An excellent place to start is Yoga with Adriene. This ultra-popular yoga teacher has an enormous library of classes to choose from for practitioners of all experience levels. We find it helpful to check out her playlist page, where she categorizes classes by length, difficulty, and more.
For those of us here at Active Junky, yoga isn't our sole interest. Instead, it serves as a complementary activity that helps us improve upon and recover from other pursuits like skiing, surfing, climbing, biking, and more. As such, we like searching Youtube for sport-specific yoga, such as "yoga for surfers" to help build shoulder and core strength before a surf trip or "yoga for mountain bikers" to wind down and loosen up the lower back after an aggressive ride. Youtube is a fantastic resource to help you find yoga classes that complement your other interests. Of course, Youtube doesn't certify or vet yoga teachers—that job is up to you—but once you find a yoga teacher you like, we suggest you stick with 'em.
prAna crushes the yoga apparel game—its attention to detail, aesthetics, and materials are all best-in-class. Case in point, the Milo Tank Top. The Milo's style is dialed—we tested the rye green version and loved both the color and the subtle striped pattern on the lower section of the shirt. The fabric is a blend of recycled polyester (93%) and organic cotton (7%), and the resulting feel is ultra-soft and comfortable. If you’re worried about exercising in a cotton blend, don’t fret—prAna incorporated Dri-Release technology so that the Milo wicks moisture during sweaty yoga sessions and dries quickly afterward.
We’ve rarely used the chest pocket—it's a tank top, after all—but some may appreciate the added convenience.
Tester Comment: "If I'm wearing a shirt when I practice yoga, it needs to offer freedom of movement and be made of a lightweight, breathable material. The Milo ticks those boxes, and it looks good, too, so I'll be wearing it all summer long."
Best For: Everyday use, on and off the mat.
If there's one piece of gear in this buyer's guide that we can't do without, it's unquestionably the Super Mojo 2 Shorts. These shorts are simple, comfortable, and expertly made. The UPF 50+ recycled polyester and spandex blend (87%/13%) is thin as tissue, wicks moisture at lightspeed, and still protects you from the sun. No matter what yoga pose you pretzel yourself into, the broad, elastic waistband sits flat on the hips. The dual front pockets are deep and made from a lightweight mesh material—this both improves the short's breathability and also makes them swim-ready should you opt for a quick dip on a hot hike. On the warmest of days or in the steamiest of hot yoga classes, there are no shorts we'd rather be wearing.
Make sure you size the Super Mojo 2 correctly. There's no drawstring to cinch the shorts tight, so if the waistband doesn't fit, you're out of luck.
Tester Comment: "Ultra-comfy during yoga, no matter how much I sweat. Hands down my new favorite shorts."
Best for: Yoga classes and nearly all warm-weather athletic pursuits.
When practicing yoga at home, a big mat is a welcome luxury. This prAna mat is a larger rendition of their popular E.C.O. Mat, and for taller yogis—or those who want a bit more real estate to stretch out—the size alone makes this mat worth considering.
The grip is unparalleled—the bottom of the mat sticks to wood floors like glue, and your fingers will rarely slip out on the textured topside even when rivulets of sweat drip down your forearms. With 5mm of cushioning, this prAna mat is also luxuriously thick, plush, and comfortable.
While there's nothing we would change about this mat, bigger mats are more of a hassle to transport, and they also can be overkill in crowded classes with limited floor space.
Tester Comments: "After having a regular-sized mat for years, stepping up to a big mat felt like a serious upgrade."
Best for: Setting up a killer home studio
Our tester put an Atlantic Blue version of the Momento Crop Top through the paces, and she dug the stretchy, recycled nylon material, the striking cobalt color, and the cut. There's no elastic band at the base of the Momento Crop Top, which our tester noted was a plus for yoga—she found that the compression provided was adequately supportive and exceptionally comfortable. Bonus: the two-tone crop top is reversible, which allows you to spice up your workout wardrobe.
One downside, according to our tester, was the fact that there aren't any removable cups. As such, she noted that it "won't hide much if you're a little chilly." She also pointed out that the Momento is more akin to a longer sports bra than a crop top, as it sits fairly high on the midriff.
Tester Comment: "It doesn't ride up at all when I'm practicing, and I love the color. I'm excited to wear it climbing because the racer back cut doesn't impede arm movements."
Best for: Doubling up your yoga outfits with a single crop top.
Yoga pants, meet pockets. Pockets, meet yoga pants. Our tester was stoked to report that the Electa's dual side pockets kept her phone in place when working out, but they didn't bunch up and were undetectable on the yoga mat. Our tester was also pleased to find that the lightweight recycled nylon and Lycra blend is lightweight and breathable, yet thick enough that it isn't revealing mid-stretch.
Our tester has a slim waist and slightly bigger hips, and she often has trouble finding leggings that fit. She found that she did have to hike up the high-rise waist of the Electa on several occasions.
Tester Comments: "I've had such a hard time finding a comfy yoga legging that breathes well and isn’t see-through when I'm in downward dog. Not anymore, thanks to the Electa."
Best for: Hiking, hanging, and yoga—at home or in the studio.
The most noteworthy aspect of the Icefloe Sleeveless Shirt is the material—Stio's Floe fabric is an ultralight polyester jersey that feels as light as air and still offers UPF 20+ protection from the sun. Should you sweat it out on the mat (or on the trail), the fabric also sports an antimicrobial treatment to keep stink to a minimum. The boxy, sleeveless t-shirt cut, when compared to that of more traditional tank tops, is quite yoga-friendly—the sleeveless style droops much less than tanks when in downward dog or practicing arm balances.
Style-wise, the Icefloe Sleeveless Shirt looks out of place outside of a gym, yoga studio, or workout scenario.
Tester Comment: "So. Incredibly. Light! This fabric is perfect for hot yoga classes and riding out summer heatwaves."
Best for: Working out, yoga, hiking, and trail running
If you've ever dripped sweat through a hot yoga class, you know that a yoga towel isn't optional—it's mandatory. Slow Tide might be known for its thick, deluxe beach towels, but they slimmed things down for the Red Rocks Yoga Towel. The towel, which Slow Tide crafted from 100% post-consumer waste, is ultra-thin yet still absorbent. Sweaty mats are a recipe for slippage, so the Red Rocks Yoga Towel sports a waffle texture that improves grip and inspires confidence no matter how much you're perspiring.
None whatsoever—this yoga towel is top-notch.
Tester Comments: "From the rad pattern to the on-mat performance, I was beyond stoked on this yoga towel. No more sweaty slipping!"
Best for: Hot yoga classes—or anyone who sweats buckets during yoga.
For many yogis, straps are tools that we only employ in yoga studios, oftentimes during fast-paced classes. However, in our opinion, the strap is best-suited for unhurried use at home. With a beginner-friendly strap like this eight-foot, organic-cotton option from prAna, you can take the time to get in and out of challenging poses, build flexibility, and work around injuries.
While it's easy to use a strap correctly, it's also easy to overdo it. As always, when in doubt, ease up. To show you the ropes (or in this case, straps), we've embedded a Yoga with Adrienne video above in which she teaches how to safely stretch out the hamstrings with a strap. If you feel like you need more personalized instruction, you can always try to schedule a private online class with a yoga instructor from your local yoga studio.
Tester Comments: "For me, I enjoy taking my time with the strap. From shoulder stretches to hamstring stretches to dancer's pose, the strap can be super helpful."
Best for: Beginners who are having trouble getting into certain poses. Deep stretching for yogis of all levels.
Manduka's grip on the yoga game is strong thanks to the grip of their yoga mats. The PROlite is no exception: our testers loved the sticky support of the high-density, closed-cell mat. The standard-sized PROlite is 4.7 mm thick and weighs 4 lbs—it balances the cushion of a thicker mat with the portability of some of Manduka's ultralight options. If you are looking for a thinner, more portable (and more affordable) option, do be sure to check out the eKO Lite.
The price is on the steep side for a yoga mat.
Tester Comments: "Yoga mats can get gnarly, especially when you're using them outside. Manduka's closed-cell rubber has been fending off dirt and sweat for a couple of months now, and it still looks pretty fresh."
Best for: All-around use, from your living room to the studio to the campground.
Spring is here, and for us, that means it's sandal season. And seeing as how we're always barefoot on the mat, we're fans of rocking sandals when yoga's on the menu.
Unlike Chaco's traditional sandals—which are renowned by adventurers around the world for their astounding abilities to hike and scramble—the Chillos don't have a heel strap and are designed for mellower activities. The ergonomically designed foam footbeds are comfortable underfoot for hours on end. Plus, the EVA construction makes the Slides much lighter and easier to clean than their leather counterparts. Oh, and did we mention that they float, too?
The straps don't cinch down super tight on narrow feet. For us, that was never a deal-breaker, seeing as how we're only using these in casual scenarios.
Tester Comments: "Whenever you're constantly putting your sandals on and taking them off, the Slides are rad. I've enjoyed slipping these on after yoga, a trail run, or a spring backcountry tour."
Best For: Casual use, trips to the lake, driving to the yoga studio, etc
